December book recommendations make perfect gifts

Once again, we have a plethora of nonfiction. These are perfect books for gift-giving.

 

“Among the Bros” by Max Marshall is required reading for Charleston residents and, frankly, all parents. It is the story behind the 2016 drug bust of a group of College of Charleston fraternity brothers who became drug traffickers. This tale is disturbing on many levels. I am not naïve and am well aware that kids use drugs and alcohol, but this is on a different level and culminates in the murder of a young man. The book is also an indictment of the local law enforcement. Barely a slap on the wrist for the perpetrators.

 

The next three books offer a timely focus on tech and finance.

 

“Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson. Love him or loathe him, Musk is fascinating and one of the most influential people in our universe. Isaacson provides a full portrait of Musk’s personality and accomplishments – warts, tantrums, and brilliance included.

 

“Going Infinite” by Michael Lewis. I find Lewis to be a highly accessible author. He is able to explain complex finance issues and weave in the personal side of the story. Remember “The Big Short?” My one criticism of this book is the conclusion that Lewis comes to at the end. I beg to differ, but it is still a compelling read.

 

“The Hank Show” by McKenzie Funk has a bad title but I’m so glad I read the book. The story of Hank Asher and his journey from drug smuggler to tech mogul. He understood the importance of data mining from computers back in the 1980s. And he is why all of your data is now owned, proffered, and manipulated by huge corporations. 

 

“The Art Thief” by Michael Finkel is an astonishing story of a young man who ravaged museums and historical sights in Europe and hoarded his trove of treasures. How he accomplished his thefts and was only caught due to his hubris makes for a fascinating story. Excellent choice for a book club discussion regarding the ethics of his girlfriend and mother who abetted him. Finkel is the author of “The Stranger in the Woods” – The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit about a man who lived for years, undetected, deep in the Maine woods, in a tent for 27 years, and survived by stealing essentials from properties in the vicinity.

 

“Victory Day,” written by Daniel Island resident Kenneth Scarlett, is a meticulously researched history of the Southern Continental Army of the American Revolution and the significance of their strategy in winning American independence. Perfect gift for the history buff. This book won a 2023 Fraunces Tavern Museum Honorable Mention award.

 

If those are all too serious for you, we have fiction this month, as well.

 

“The Last Devil to Die” by Richard Osman is the latest in the Thursday Murder Club series and I have enjoyed all of them. Wonderful characters, solid British humor, and well, murder. Fun to read, fun to listen to on audiobook.

 

“The Land of Milk and Honey” by C. Pam Zhang is different, but worthy of your time. Zhang is an acclaimed author, but an acquired taste. I did enjoy her last book; “How Much of These Hills is Gold.” This new book begins as an apocalyptic tale, a woman seeking pleasure in a rapidly deteriorating world short on food. Her choices alter the arc of her life, and the story becomes futuristic as it describes her life over the next 60 years. 

 

“Dearborn” by Ghassan Zeineddine highlights that half the population of Dearborn, Michigan, is Muslim American. These stories are a portrayal of Arab Americans living there over generations.

 

“Mr. Texas” by Lawrence Wright, a send-up of American politics, was surprisingly honest, infuriating, and funny. It did reinforce my disdain for politicians, but Wright is an exceptional writer who draws from actual people and events for this sadly relevant story. Also good as an audiobook.

 

“Absolution” by Alice McDermott is set in Vietnam in the ’60s, but it’s not about the soldiers or the journalists. This is the perspective of the wives who lived there while husbands worked in support or military roles. Wonderful for a book club.

 

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